As is known, washing of the glazed surfaces of automobile vehicles is carried out using factory-fitted means which generally include a cleaning liquid reservoir, an electric pump generally attached to said reservoir, and a plurality of flexible tubes which link said electric pump with jets which project the cleaning liquid against the glazed surfaces at the pressure and flow required in each particular case.
The electric pump essentially comprises a sucking and forcing pump made up of an forcing chamber in which is fitted a sucking and forcing turbine, with input of cleaning liquid to the forcing chamber being implemented by means of an axial sucking extension and output of cleaning liquid from said chamber being implemented through an outlet nozzle tangentially mounted with respect to same. In general, the outlet nozzle has its free end designed to receive a corresponding end of flexible tube, said design arrangement consisting in a truncated-end termination in which the larger base forms a perimetric projection, with connection under pressure of said end of tube to the outlet nozzle, in such a way that by elastic reaction of the tube material said end presses an the exterior surface of the outlet nozzle to lend the connection a certain leaktightness.
The mode of flexible tube connection described above has the following main disadvantages. The location of the electric pump and accessibility to same are frequently a considerable hindrance to implementation of connection or disconnection of the tube, which increases the cost of both the windscreen washer installation and its maintenance. Moreover, the insertion under pressure of the outlet nozzle into the tube generally calls for the use of lubricating materials such as greases applied onto the nozzle, which under certain circumstances, such as when too much of said lubricants is applied, can lead to blockage of the tube, preventing free circulation of cleaning liquid.
The situation described above with respect to connection of a flexible tube to the outlet nozzle of an electric pump is by extension entirely applicable to connection of a tube of this type to a cleaning liquid inlet or outlet nozzle of any of the elements habitually used in windscreen washer installations, such as attachment and/or tap-off elements and jets.